No Good Deed
by redick4
Summary: A sequel to The Seer, which I know 5 people at most read, but hey give it a shot. It's the summer before Harry's 7th year and already things are taking a bad turn. COMPLETE
1. Wake Up Call

A/N: This is a sequel to a story I wrote while I was waiting for Book 5 to be released. Because OOTP hadn't come out yet, my first story in no way followed what happened in that book. This story obviously follows a seperate path as well. If you're checking this out and haven't read my other story that's cool--I'll just tell you this takes place the summer between Harry's 6th and 7th years at Hogwarts. Insert usual disclaimer info at this point...

Chapter One: Wake Up Call

From where Harry was sitting, it looked like she had been punched in the stomach. They had been talking. Sort of. They had actually been making out when suddenly she inhaled so sharply she drew breath from out of his lungs. Harry had broken the kiss and begun to cough. She fell off the side of the bed to the floor. Her chest rose and fell quickly. It seemed like she was hyperventilating, her eyes wide, glistening, and frightened. Harry slid down to the floor next to her. He whispered directions to try and slow her breathing. In his head he said a silent prayer. Hearing the dull thud of his uncle's footsteps, he knew the prayer had went unanswered. If Uncle Vernon caught her in his room...well, he really didn't want to think about what could happen.

Desperate, Harry went to his trunk and pulled out the invisibility cloak he'd gotten years earlier. He kneeled back down next to her. She seemed to be calming down.

"I'm really sorry about this..." He covered her with the cloak. Harry turned towards his opening door preparing for the worst.

Under the cloak, she kept as still as possible. She'd only been back in the country less than two hours and already everything was going pear shaped.

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Michelle's eyes followed the seemingly endless stream of luggage passing in front of her. She'd marked her bag with a spray painted anarchy symbol (blood red at that) in hopes it would be easier to spot. She stretched her arms above her head trying to work out the lethargy that had set in during her flight.

"Finally..." she said to herself. Leaning forward and grabbing her bag, she drug it past the other passengers to get out of their way. She was checked out, her passport scrutinized, her bags scanned. The poor woman working security looked exhausted so Michelle gave her a smile and a polite thank you as she was moved forward. The airport was busy, even at this late hour. Michelle reached the exit and hailed a cab. She wished she could have just apperated to her London flat, but Dumbledore thought it best to travel the muggle way, atleast until she was safely home.

Home. Michelle sighed at the thought. If someone had asked her a year ago where she would be calling home, she would not have answered Britain. She wouldn't have had much of an answer at all really. Back then, she didn't know what she would be doing the next day let alone with the rest of her life. She had a plan now. Well, the beginnings of a plan anyway. Her path had become clearer ever since she'd become a Seer...and met Harry.

Mmmm...Harry. She hadn't seen him for a month. She missed him horribly. He had wanted to meet her at the airport. Michelle had talked him out of it because it would be almost midnight before her flight arrived. She doubted he would be allowed out alone at that time of night.

It took almost 30 minutes to reach her home. Michelle paid the driver and opened the door to the building. Checking that no one was in the hallway, she sent her bags floating up the stairs. They hovered in front of her door as she unlocked it. A flick of her wrist sent them towards her bed where they plopped down quietly. Michelle quickly cleaned up. She frowned looking in the mirror. She could see on her face the effects of getting no sleep on the plane. Nothing she could do about it now. Fairly satisfied, she went to her room.

She began to open up her luggage, haphazardly tossing her dirty clothes in the general vicinity of the laundry basket. One shirt skimmed her nightstand knocking overa picture of herself and Harry. Crawling over the bed, she lifted the frame back up. They had taken the picture just before she'd left to visit her friends in America. Looking at the photo, Michelle was immediately drawn to Harry's green eyes. She stared at them for a few moments before she resumed her sorting.

Her mind wandered as she moved about through the room. Michelle jumped when her phone began to ring. She checked the clock. It was almost 1 am.

"Hello?"

"So, you're back in one piece then?"

Michelle felt warm all over. It was Harry.

"Thanks to Virgin Airways. What are you doing up?"

"Couldn't sleep. I figured you wouldn't call because of the hour so I decided to call you." Harry was practically whispering into the phone.

"I'm glad you did. I missed you."

"Missed you too. I wish you were here right now."

Michelle suddenly had a thought.

"Seriously? You wish I was there right now..."

"Sure. Right now." Harry laughed a little. He could hear her smiling through the phone.

"Are you in your room?" she asked.

"Yeah. The Dursely's finally got a cordless phone so I snuck it up here."

"Okay. If I'm not there in about...ummm...5 min., call me back."

"What?" Harry heard a click on the other end. Confused, he hung up the phone and watched the clock.

Digging through her nightstand drawer, Michelle pulled out a map and Harry's address. She'd never been to his uncle's house. Normally, she would like to have a picture in her mind of the house before she apperated. The address would have to do. She found the location on the map and studied it for a few moments.

Taking a deep breath, Michelle concentrated. It took just a second or two before she was standing on the lawn in front of Harry's house.

"Damn...that was pretty good if I do say so myself." Michelle looked up and down the street. She checked the house number to make absolutely sure this was the place. Michelle moved around the house quietly, trying to find the window to Harry's room. He'd described the house to her so she thought she had a pretty good idea which one was his. After a few moments, she spotted what she was looking for. She could see the marks left behind when the Weasleys had once pulled the bars away from Harry's window. Harry had told her that story one day during supper.

Michelle drew her wand from her pocket and lifted herself up to the window. Peering inside, she could see Harry sitting on his bed staring at the clock. He held the phone tightly in his hands. She knocked gently on the window.

Harry jumped slightly. He looked at the window. This could not be possible, he thought.

Michelle smiled. Harry almost tripped over his clothes that had been flung to the floor when he got ready for bed. His mouth broke into a crooked grin as he opened the window.

"How the hell..." he held out a hand to help her inside.

"Well, Harry, there's this thing I can do called magic and..."

Michelle's sentence was cut off the second her feet touched the floor. Harry pulled her to him, kissing Michelle warmly. Her arms wrapped around him. She kissed him once more before hugging him fiercely.

"Anything exciting going on?" She spoke quietly, unsure of who was up in the house.

"You mean since the letter I wrote you last week? Not really..." Harry let Michelle go as she pulled away and sat down on his bed. "Uncle Vernon is convinced I'm spying on the family and sending out my reports using Hedwig."

"Seriously? You know, there are several medications available today that could help your uncle."

Harry chuckled. "If only it were that easy. How about you?" Harry hesitated, studying her face.

Michelle pursed her lips momentarily. "You're going to ask THAT question aren't you?"

Harry joined her on the bed.

"It is an obvious question, I know..."

"No, I haven't had any visions lately." Michelle's voice sounded tired to Harry. "Nothing of consequence anyway. Although, I did see something a few days ago. I had to convince a complete stranger to take a different seat on a bus."

"Did you see something happening to the bus? Was it going to crash?"

"Nope. The person sitting next to him was going to get sick and throw up all over him. Imagine being covered in puke for 3 hours. Like I said, nothing too exciting."

"But, that's good isn't it?"

Michelle shrugged and fought off a yawn. "Maybe. I would rather see something and have a heads up than get caught off guard."

"It's been quiet here too. Hermione calls to tell me what's in the Daily Prophet. The Dursley's don't want me getting it here. They think someone will see it being delivered and call animal control about the owls." Harry's voice dropped off hearing the ragged snoring of his cousin in the next room. "Guess I better keep my voice down..."

"You know, we could just skip the whole talking thing till tomorrow." Michelle gave Harry a sly glance.

"You're not leaving already are you."

Michelle rolled her eyes, apparently he'd missed her attempt at flirting.

"Not so much, no..." She gave up being subtle and leaned forward to kiss him. "I'm not leaving. I'm suggesting we could do something other than talk..."

She could feel his lips turning up in a smile under hers as she kissed him again. Her mind floated as she came closer to him. She'd missed how he felt, how he smelled, how his glasses would brush her cheek sometimes when they made out. His hands had just started to pull at her shirt gently when it happened.

Not now, Michelle thought to herself before the images came flooding into her head so quickly she felt as though she was on a spinning amusement park ride. Her body seemed to bend in two as the air was sucked from her lungs. Michelle fell to the floor with one thought throbbing through her head.

Draco Malfoy would be dead in a week.

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A/N Part Two: I'll warn you now, this is the first time I've put a story up without having it completely finished. I haven't even finished writing the next chapter, but I'm trying an experiment to see if I can do a whole story in a timely fashion. Input is appreciated. A quick final note, FlyingPurpleCat--I got your last "review" but wasn't able to properly contact you since I didn't have all the information needed. To answer your questions--go where the story takes you because you can always write another one and don't be afraid to edit and rewrite something. As far as getting people to read your stories, I think it's a matter of timing, but if you review someone's story, mention you've written something and would appreciate the feedback. Also, make sure you haven't blocked anonymous reviews--go to the settings page for that one. Good Luck. Let me know what you think.


	2. Trust Me

Chapter 2: Trust Me

The door opened faster than Harry expected. Uncle Vernon came in half dazed from sleep, but still awake enough to be annoyed.

"What are you doing in here boy?" His face seemed to pucker naturally.

Harry stood quickly. He could just feel Michelle's body with the side of his foot.

"Nothing. I thought I heard something outside. I got up to check and I tripped over my feet."

"Heard something? It wasn't one of those blasted owls was it..." Uncle Vernon moved towards the window.

Harry cut him off before he stepped on Michelle. "No. It wasn't an owl. I think it was just a car backfiring or something."

Harry tried to look as innocent as possible. He needed his uncle to leave so he could talk to Michelle. Uncle Vernon studied Harry's expression. He looked around the room. Not seeing anything related to magic nearby made him relax. He glared once more at his nephew.

"Get to bed Potter. One more sound out of you and you'll regret the day you came here to live with us."

It was all Harry could do to keep his mouth shut after such a comment. He had regretted that day most of his life.

"Yes, Uncle Vernon." Harry spoke through a clenched mouth.

Satisfied that he was once again lord and master, Vernon sniffed loudly and left. Harry shut the door, but didn't move till he heard his uncle return to his own room.

"Are you okay?" he watched as Michelle sat up and pulled the cloak off of her.

"I think so." She stood slowly before going to sit on the bed.

Harry took the cloak from her hands and shoved it under his pillow. "That must have been a bad one."

"Yeah, sorry about nearly sucking your lungs out..."

Harry waited for her to continue. Instead, she just stared back.

"So...?"

"Hunh?" She was distracted.

"What did you see?"

Michelle thought for a moment. She couldn't tell him just yet. He would go through the roof--whether it would be with joy or anger she wasn't sure exactly.

"I need to go home." She got up and moved to the center of the room.

"Why?" Harry was obviously annoyed.

"I need to go over this one before I say anything. I want to make sure I've got it right." She reached out and touched his arm as he came to her. "I can tell you that I didn't see anything involving you or Ron or Hermione. Can you meet me tomorrow?"

Reluctantly, Harry nodded.

"Same place as usual?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah. How's 2 o'clock?"

"I'll be there."

Michelle looked at his face...he was still annoyed. She went up on her toes and kissed him softly.

"I'll see you tomorrow." Michelle stepped back to have more room.

Harry sighed and opened his mouth to ask her more, but she apperated before he got the chance.

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Michelle sent out an owl to Dumbledore as soon as she returned home. She crawled into bed, falling asleep only because she was already exhausted. Waking around noon, she took a quick shower and got dressed. An owl arrived while she was eating.

It was a response from the headmaster. He didn't have much to say other than he wanted to be kept informed. He would obviously help if needed, but she would have to handle most of the task herself. Michelle frowned at the letter. She knew being a Seer meant taking responsibility for your visions, but this was a big one. One she didn't want to mess up. Worry began to fill her head as she finished getting ready. She was surprised when she glanced at the clock and saw it was almost 2pm.

She threw some things into her book bag and apperated. In a matter of seconds, she was behind a grove of trees. Harry had suggested this small wooden area just outside of town. When school had let out for the summer, Harry had wanted to see her more than just once or twice in London. He was afraid the Dursleys would give birth to a herd of cattle if she just showed up at his house. He could reach the outside of town by bus and meet her here without drawing too much ire from his relatives.

Michelle glanced around and spotted Harry leaning against a nearby tree, his back to her.

"Harry..." she called out.

He turned and gave her a small smile. "I was starting to worry."

"I'm only a couple of minutes late." Michelle led the way to their favorite spot.

Harry sat down first. His long legs stretched out in front of him, Michelle noticed he was tapping his feet together nervously. She joined him on the ground making sure she was facing him.

"Before I start, a quick recap--I have no choice in the visions I get. I also don't get to choose who the vision is about."

"I know...they just come to you. What was this one about?"

Michelle spoke cautiously, "I saw Draco Malfoy. In about a week, he'll be dead."She looked at Harry anxiously.

He said nothing.

"I saw how it's going to happen and I think I can keep him from dying."

"Are you sure that's what you're supposed to do?" He asked quietly.

Michelle was a little surprised. She knew Harry and Malfoy couldn't stand each other, but when it came down to it, she never believed Harry would wish Draco dead. Punished, yes. Maimed, probably. But, not dead.

"Yes. His death is an accident. Well, sort of an accident. I just know it's not supposed to happen."

"How does it happen?"

"Malfoy is going to be at a meeting of Death Eaters. I think he's trying to join up, but I get the impression he's supposed to be asked rather than demand to be a part of the group. He sneaks in and is mistaken for someone else and killed before anyone knows it's him."

Harry's eyes grew darker, "Is his father there? Does he see it happen?"

"I seem to remember sensing him there more than actually seeing him."

"He didn't flinch when Cedric died. It would serve him right to watch his own son be killed."

"Harry, you better than anyone, know how horrible such a sight is...how could you wish for it to happen?"

"How could I not? Malfoy has done nothing but terrorize and try to hurt the people I care about. His father is a Death Eater responsible for who knows how many deaths. How can you expect me to care about what happens to either of them?"

Michelle stood angrily and took a few steps away from Harry.

"I expect you to care because you're a better person than the both of them." She spun on her heel and began walking. She could hear Harry stand up and come after her. Michelle walked quickly towards a clearing ahead. She yelled over her shoulder.

"Has it ever occured to you that helping someone you hate is just as important as helping someone you care about?" She almost tripped as Harry caught up to her and grabbed her arm.

"What do you mean?" He turned her so he could see her face. She was angry and disappointed in him.

"When you save the world, Harry, you save the bad people as well as the good. You can never know when helping someone will come back to help you."

Harry let out a harsh, short laugh. "You're saying Malfoy would help me if I needed it?"

"No, I'm saying sometimes people change if they are shown a good reason to do it and are given the chance." She threw a glance at his hand, still wrapped around her arm. He let go and was ashamed to see there was an imprint of his fingers on her skin.

Michelle watched as Harry's expression softened. They hadn't really fought before. Some minor arguments here and there, but nothing this potentially big.

Harry's head hurt. He knew he sounded like a jerk, but he wasn't going to lie and say he had no reservations about her helping Draco. He just wished Michelle could understand.

She bent her head to look at her watch. She was supposed to be checking in with Dumbledore soon.

"I have to go." Her voice was quiet and betrayed her lingering concern over Harry's part of the conversation.

"Michelle, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I can't be happy about you helping Malfoy. I'm sorry I grabbed your arm so hard. I'm sorry...well, I'm sure there was probably something else in there I should be sorry for..."

He carefully wrapped his arms around her and held her close to him. She didn't resist, but he could feel the tension in her body. She was still upset with him.

Michelle pulled away enough to tilt her head up. Her eyes met his and a weak smile slipped from her lips.

"Well, this sucked more than I thought it would." She leaned against him, her head against his chest as it rose and fell. Disentangling herself from his grasp, she stepped away.

"Harry, I love you...you know that."

"I know you do..."

"I have to do something. I think you also know that."

Harry nodded reluctantly.

"I'll send an owl when I get there and I'll keep you posted on how things are going."

"Wait, you're going to see him?" Harry's voice rose, more concerned than before.

"It'll be difficult to help him from my place."

"But, what if he tries to hurt you...what if his father..."

"Harry, people know where I am going. Very powerful people...I'll be fine."

"I don't know..."

She smiled. "Trust me."

Then she was gone.

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A/N: So, the plan was the next chapter had to be written before posting this one.That plan has just gone astray so it might be a little longer than a week before Ch. 3 gets here. I'll be curious to know what you two (so far) think about this chapter. Oh, FPC, I could only get 1 chapter for your Christmas Box stories...the main page says 10 chapters were posted, but only 1 could be found. You might want to check on that. I'll look again soon. Happy Holidays FPC and rockbaby67!


	3. Who Needs A Plan

Chapter 3: Who Needs A Plan

Michelle's eyes were burning. Her head hurt. She was pissed off.

If only he would stop smoking, she thought. She tossed a glare at the man sitting a table away from her. The Leaky Cauldron was bursting at the seams when she arrived. She was lucky to even find a place to sit. Was there some convention in town she didn't know about? Her eyes darted about in hopes of spotting Dumbledore. She had gotten here with minutes to spare, but hadn't located him yet. Instead, she caught the eye of her waitress and ordered another drink.

As the waitress moved away from her table towards the bar, Michelle noticed the smoking man was talking to someone. He was tall and had flowing blonde hair that was almost white. Dumbledore? Her hope lasted all of two seconds. She looked him over some more and realized this man was younger. He turned and spotted her staring.

Shit.

He came to her purposfully, as though he were expecting her to rise and bow to him. His robes were obviously made especially for him. They moved with his body and gave him an even larger presence than his obvious arrogance did. He paused in front of her table. Not bothering to actually lower his head to see her, he looked down his nose at her.

"You must be Miss Larson?" his tone was deliberate...calm, but with just a hint of disdain.

"I am." Michelle watched his eyes carefully, "And you are?"

His nostrils flared.

Michelle held in a smile. She knew exactly who he was. Knew it the second she'd seen his face.

"Lucius Malfoy."

"What can I do for you, Mr. Malfoy?"

"I am sure there is nothing you can do for me Miss Larson. But, there may be something I can do for you."

"Really? What would that be?"

"I understand you are going to be teaching at Hogwarts this year."

"Teaching assistant, actually. I still have some classes to take this summer before I'll be an official instructor."

"I am also told you claim to be a Seer."

"I don't claim anything. I am a Seer."

"Do you really think you should be exposing yourself at a school where you will be endangering the lives of young children?"

"Exposing my self?"

"I remember a time, not so long ago, when Seers were not to be trusted. They were exterminated like vermin." Malfoy's hand absently caressed the top of his walking stick.

"Sounds like you miss those days..."

"You misunderstand me. I only wish to point out the risks your kind take. By being at the school, my child's life is in peril because of your presence."

"Are we going to get to the part where you offer to help me anytime soon, because if this is going to take awhile I'm ordering food..."

Malfoy sneered violently, his face becoming even colder than before.

"I'd like to offer you the opportunity to do your special form of magic somewhere other than the school."

"And where would this place be?"

"I have connections at the Ministry of Magic..."

Michelle cut him off. "I bet you do."

His grip on the top of the cane tightened. She was trying his patience.

"I am sure you could be placed in a safe location where you would be guarded from any element who would wish to hurt you."

"Or, I'd be placed in a remote location where no one would hear from me. A location that would probably be leaked to one of the Death Eaters, purely by accident I'm sure."

"You have a vivid imagination Miss Larson."

"No more than yours, Mr. Malfoy, if you think I'm going to hide myself away."

"Very well. I have made my offer. But I warn you, if anything happens to my son because of you, it'll be your head."

"How very Tower Of London of you, sir." Michelle jumped as the waitress finally returned with her drink. She'd completely forgotten it.

Malfoy chuckled seeing her twitch from surprise. "Good day Miss Larson. If you change your mind, I'm sure you can 'see' your way to finding me."

Michelle groaned. Well, isn't he the witty one, she thought. She took a long drink from her glass. Her eyes were still burning and she was still ticked off.

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Dumbledore had finally arrived. He'd been detained by Filch. Peeves had taken it upon himself to douse each of the Quidditch trophies with some sort of liquid. Michelle wasn't sure what exactly, but she did know "dung" had been mentioned as an ingredient. Filch had been furious and demanded Dumbledore speak to Peeves right then. Michelle went over her intervention ideas with the headmaster. She wasn't feeling too confident about any of them and needed some feedback. Even though he listened closely and nodded once or twice, Dumbledore didn't committ to any one plan. He told Michelle it was her decision to make. He did seem somewhat concerned that Malfoy senior had approached her. They had talked for a couple of hours till Dumbledore was called away.

Michelle took her time going home. She needed to think some more. She walked home barely noticing the rain that had begun to fall. By the time she reached her building, she was soaked. Her bangs were dripping water straight into her eyes, forcing her to blink repeatedly. There was someone sitting on her steps under an umbrella. Michelle slowed her walk, slipping her hand into the pocket of her coat to grab her wand. She slid the wand as far up her sleeve as it would go before pulling her hand out and resting it at her side.

She cursed to herself, realizing she couldn't grab her keys thanks to the fact she was holding her wand. For a split second, she thought about walking on and circling the block. Then she heard her name.

"I was hoping you'd be here soon." Hermione lifted the umbrella to look at her.

"Hermione? What are you doing here?" Michelle shoved her wand back into her pocket. Pulling out her keys, she opened the door so they could enter the hall.

"I got a call from Harry. My folks were coming to town to visit friends so I asked if I could tag along and come see you...I hope that was alright."

Michelle lead the way up the stairs. "Sure. Come on in."

Hermione shook out her umbrella and left it outside the door to Michelle's flat. Stepping inside, she walked around the living room while Michelle dried off.

"So, Harry says you two had a fight..." Hermoine called into the other room.

Michelle's head poked out in surprise. "Did he tell you what the fight was about?"

"No. He just said he acted like a jerk and he was worried about you. The call was short, but I got the idea he wanted me to talk to you about it."

Michelle stepped out of her room. "Can I get you anything? Tea?"

"Have you learned to make a proper cup yet?"

"That'll be a soda then..." Michelle opened the fridge and got out a couple of cans. She sat next to Hermione on the sofa.

"Cheers." Hermione took a long sip before arranging herself on the couch.

Michelle almost laughed. Hermione reminded her of a teacher she'd once had back in America. Whenever she was preparing to have a serious discussion with a student, she would sit very properly in her chair, her face all business.

"Okay, the fight--how did it start?" Hermione sat with her hands folded in her lap, her back perfectly straight.

"Well officer, party of the first part--that's me--had a vision and told party of the second part--that's Harry--what she saw."

Hermione frowned. She hated it when she wasn't taken seriously. "What did you see?"

"I saw Draco Malfoy being killed."

Hermione's eyes almost popped out of her head. "Really? Was it very painful?"

Michelle was confused. "Painful to see or painful for him?"

"Painful for him..."

"Jeez, what is it with you people! Harry said almost the same thing."

"Sorry. I'm still a little mad at him for kidnapping me and everything."

"I know. It's just weird to think someone our age could be so hated. It's not like he's had tons of time to make enemies."

"He's very efficient."

"Apparently. Anyway, I told Harry I had to intervene and he was not happy." Michelle absently ran her finger round the edge of her soda can.

"Of course you have to get involved. That's what you do...isn't it?"

"Yep."

"Anything else?" Hermione let herself relax into the sofa.

"Uh...nope, that was about it. It's just I didn't expect him to be so...dark."

"Dark?"

"I know he can't stand Malfoy, but you should have heard him Hermione. There was real hatred in his voice. It just freaked me out. It made me wonder...how much of Voldermort has become a part of him."

Hermione's face went sad. "I wonder, too."

"There is another possibility."

"What's that?"

"He's acting like a hurt teenager."

"A hurt teenage guy to boot." Hermione shifted where she sat. "What's the plan?"

"I'm going to go see Draco."

"And?"

"That's all I've got so far."

Hermione had to smile. "Not much of a plan."

"I like to think I'm being flexible." Michelle sighed. "That or really, really stupid."

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A/N: Okay, so this chapter isn't the best. I've been working on it and couldn't get it quite right. I'm tired of looking at it so I'm putting it up anyway. Thanks FPC, Rockbaby67 and Call-Sugarhigh-Police for reading and for feedback. I'll try and have Ch. 4 up faster than it took to get this one up. Thanks for your patience. Oh, the title of this chapter sucks and I have a feeling Peeves couldn't douse much of anything, but I sort of latched on the dung idea and didn't feel like correcting it. Maybe he made an elf do the actual pouring...


	4. The Big House

Chapter 4: The Big House

There it was in front of her. It had taken most of the day to get here. She rode the train then took a cab as close as she dared. She had to walk the rest of the way. During the entire trip, Michelle tried to work out what she was going to say. You couldn't just walk up to a person and say "Hi, how are you? You're going to be dead in a few days." Problem was, she wasn't friends with Draco...not even in the strangest of circumstances. He had no reason to talk to her. She wasn't sure she'd even get past the front gate.

The gate was huge, but that seemed fitting since the estate itself was sprawled out on a large piece of land. There were flowing letters crafted out of the wrought iron at the seam of the gate, two big M's. Malfoy Manor? Malfoy Mansion? Meglomaniacal Malfoy? Mmmm...probably not.

Michelle took a deep breath and approached the gate. She came to within a few feet of it when a man apperated just behind the iron. Michelle couldn't help but yelp out in surprise.

"Who are you and what is your business here?" The man stood atleast 7' tall. He had dark hair and worn looking skin. He was strong, his body straining at the suit he seemed to have been forced into. His eyes narrowed as he looked her over.

Michelle clutched her backpack tightly with one hand, her free hand held her wand at the ready hidden behind her leg.

"My name is Michelle Larson. I'm here to see Draco Malfoy...please."

"And why would the young master have any need to see you?"

"I have some important information he would be interested in."

"You may give that information to me."

"I'm afraid that's not possible. I really need to see Draco in person."

"I will see if he is available to speak to you."

Then he was gone. Michelle let out her breath. Lurch was sorta freaky. He must do security for the Malfoy family. Their personality alone would keep people away, Michelle thought. The man reappeared in a matter of moments.

"Young Mr. Malfoy is waiting for you in the study...follow me..." He opened the gate and waited as she stepped inside.

Hearing the harsh clang of the gate closing behind her, Michelle felt like she'd just stepped into prison. There was no going back now.

Michelle had to walk quickly to keep up with her escort.

"I'm sorry, but I didn't catch your name..."

He gave her a sideways glance. "You may call me Mr. Worth."

"Mr. Worth. How ya doin'? So, are you head of security or a butler or what?"

"I'm the man who does whatever is needed."

"Okay then..." Michelle wondered how many Malfoy misdeeds had been covered up by this guy. She was going to ask more questions, but another look from Worth made her keep her mouth shut.

They made it into the main house after a few minutes. Michelle looked around her as Worth shut the door. She could see plenty of expensive items throughout the foyer. It was all on the verge of being garish. Michelle got the idea it was all there for show, that none of the pieces actually held any sentimental value. Michelle had just begun to notice the portraits in the hall when Worth spoke up.

"The young master is this way." He lead Michelle to a room not far from the entrance. He pushed open the door and announced her arrival. Michelle thanked him then took a good look at the place as he left. The room was massive with floor to ceiling bookshelves. Amongst the books were strange looking artifacts, apparently even wizards had the need to collect kitsch. There was a mahogany desk near the windows and a set of chairs and a leather couch by the fireplace.

Michelle finally spotted Draco. He was in the very opposite corner of the room. He seemed to be lurking in the darkness near the bookshelves. He smiled slowly, his white teeth appearing to glow as the few rays of light hit them.

"It really is you. I didn't believe Worth when he came to me. I thought someone was playing a joke."

"No joke. It's really me."

"You disappoint me Michelle."

"Disappoint you? I don't understand."

"I thought you were smarter. I'm surprised you came here alone...no precious Potter or his loser friends here to protect you."

"I can take care of myself. Besides, I have no reason to fear you or your family. I'd hate for us to have a misunderstanding that would taint your family's honor. And, I'm sure a Seer going missing while visiting the Malfoy's would count as a big misunderstanding."

Draco shrugged in moderate agreement. "So, why are you here?"

Michelle came over and motioned to the couch. "May I sit?"

"Sure." Malfoy took his place in one of the chairs.

Michelle slid her wand into her pocket and sat her backpack on the floor. Lifting her face to look at him, she tried to free her mind of all the negative thoughts she had in regards to Draco. If she was going to convince him she was telling the truth, she was going to have to keep her personal opinion out of the situation.

"I recently had a vision. In the vision, I see your death. If we do nothing to stop what may happen, you'll be dead by the end of the week." Michelle paused and waited for him to react.

Malfoy sat calmly, studying her face. His lower lip quivered till he burst out laughing, his mouth opening wide as his voice filled the room.

"Very good. That was very good. You have the serious look thing down. I almost believed you." Malfoy's laugh began to die down to a chuckle.

"I am being serious. I saw you die and it wasn't pretty."

"Okay, I'll bite. How did I die?" Malfoy continued to be amused.

"You were sneaking into a Death Eaters meeting. No one knew it was you and one of the Death Eaters killed you. Your father came over to your body and lifted the hood of the cloak to discover the sneak was his son."

Malfoy's laughter died down. "When did you say this happens?"

Michelle leaned forward anxious to convince him of the truth. "End of this week."

Malfoy didn't say anything else. He sat staring at her, his fingers tapping on the armrest. The tapping became faster and louder as though it were mimicking his attempt to understand the situation.

Michelle sensed he was on the verge of telling her something to confirm the likelihood of the vision. She watched as his mouth opened slowly.

"I want you to leave...now." His voice was cold.

Michelle sat back confused. "Leave? Wait, don't you want to know the specifics? You need to know what not to do. You can't go to this meeting."

"I don't know what you are talking about. Leave! Now!" Malfoy stood and bellowed at her.

"I can't. Not until you listen to me."

Malfoy was about to yell again, when the door to the room opened.

"Draco! I can hear you upstairs. I told you your mother needs quiet. How many times do I have to tell...." The woman's voice fell off as she noticed Michelle.

Draco's eyes widened for a split second, as though he were genuinely afraid. They went cold again as he regained his composure.

"Mother, this is Michelle Larson. We went to school together. She graduated last term."

The woman came over to Michelle, her robes flowing behind her creating the illusion that she was floating.

"Narcissa Malfoy..." Draco's mother introduced herself and waited.

Michelle was confused. What was she supposed to do? Kiss her ring? Curtsey? Michelle couldn't think so she raised her hand and waved weakly.

"Hey. Nice to meet you."

This was not quite the response Narcissa had wanted. She frowned before turning to her son.

"You should have told me we had guests. You know how much I enjoy entertaining visitors."

"I know Mother, I'm sorry." Draco looked down in deference to her.

This is almost the weirdest thing I've ever seen, Michelle thought. Narcissa contined to stare at the top of Draco's head as he held the position.

It took Michelle clearing her throat to break the moment. Narcissa switched her gaze back to Michelle and gave her a fake smile.

"Are you a friend of my son?"

Michelle thought the yelling from a few minutes before might have been a big clue to the answer, but she responded anyway.

"We weren't exactly close, but we did share some experiences at school." It was the best answer Michelle could come up with. She had to be able to stay and talk to Draco. Admitting she and Draco had fought on several occassions wouldn't help.

Narcissa looked to Draco to confirm the story and Draco nodded. Michelle was stunned.

"Draco doesn't have many visitors. You have to be so careful these days." Narcissa was cut off by the chiming of a clock. "How fortunate for you!"

"Fortunate?"

"Yes, it is time for tea." Narcissa was suddenly beside herself.

Michelle looked to Draco for an explanation.

"Mother is very fond of tea." Draco hesitated.

Narcissa gave him another strange look.

He sighed just enough for Michelle to hear, "Mother says tea with the Malfoy's is better than tea with the Queen."

Narcissa gave him an approving nod, like he were a trained dog. Michelle half expected her to pull a cookie out of her robe to toss to him.

"As I said, you are most fortunate to be able to join us for tea."

Draco's voice seemed to pop out of his head, "Join us?"

"Of course, it would be very impolite to not invite Miss Larson. Why don't you give her a tour of the house while I instruct the staff to set places for three. I will send Worth for you when I am ready." With that, Narcissa floated out of the room leaving Draco and Michelle standing near each other awkwardly.

Michelle turned to Draco carefully.

"So...your mom, she's..."

Another sigh escaped his lips, "Exactly."

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A/N Apologies for taking so long to put up another chapter. It's been a long couple of post holiday weeks. I haven't felt much like writing, but I didn't want to fall too far behind. I wrote this without much revision right before putting it up so I hope it doesn't suck. A brief mention that I checked out the HP Lexicon through The Leaky Cauldron to find out what I could on the Malfoy's place. There wasn't alot there because not alot has been written on it by JK. Most I just made up, but I may refer to its location, etc. and that info I got thru the Lexicon which is a great resource. Thanks for the reviews everyone--all 3 or so of you--I appreciate it immensely. Hopefully Ch. 5 will be up in a week or less.


	5. A Spot Of Tea

Chapter 5: A Spot of Tea

Draco headed out of the room and immediately went up a staircase. He paused noticing Michelle had yet to join him.

"Are you coming or not?"

"Oh! You really are going to show me around." Michelle picked up her backpack.

Malfoy looked over his shoulder as they ascended, "Does he know you're here?"

"Dumbledore? Of course he does."

"I meant your loser boyfriend..." he grumbled.

"I sent Harry an owl before I left this morning."

"I bet he didn't want you to come talk to me." Draco headed down the hallway at the top of the stairs.

"He wasn't too happy, but he understood."

"Somehow I doubt that..."

"Doubt it all you want, but you don't know...holy crap!" Michelle stopped abruptly.

"What?" Draco shot her an annoyed look. Then he noticed what had gotten her attention.

"This cannot possibly be you." Michelle had paused in front of one of the portraits that lined the hallway. She thought she heard him moan just a little before he joined her.

"It's me." he answered simply.

"You almost look...happy...that is so weird..." Michelle stole a glance at him and thought she saw some red in his cheeks.

"I was six. I didn't know better."

"You have a dog! Do you really have a dog or was it just painted in?"

"I had a dog."

Michelle wasn't sure, but she thought he sounded a bit sad. "Had a dog? When did he, uh, leave?"

Malfoy frowned. "He didn't leave...he died. It was a long time ago." Malfoy took off again down the hall.

Michelle wished she had brought a camera even though the picture of a genuinely happy Draco would be burned in her mind forever. As they walked, Malfoy pointed out the various rooms that they passed, but didn't enter. Like all big estates, the place had tons of bedrooms. Michelle could only glance into them as they moved forward. As they reached the end of the hall, Draco slowed. He stopped in front of the last door on the right.

"This is my room." His face broke out into a wicked grin.

Michelle just rolled her eyes at him as he opened the door with a grand gesture.

Draco leaned down as Michelle passed him and whispered to her.

"You should feel privileged. You're the first girl I've brought up here."

"Aren't I the lucky one." she responded flatly. Her eyes scanned her surroundings. For the most part it looked like a teenage boy's room. Correction, a teenage wizard boy's room. There was a desk on which sat what looked like a chemistry set. The bed was a tangle of sheets and blankets. There were clothes on the floor. Books lay open as if they'd been tossed aside. Draco's Quidditch uniform was draped over a chair in the corner. The only strange thing about the room was the fact the walls were bare minus what looked like a poster sized family tree. Michelle came closer to the wall and followed the names from the start of the Malfoy lineage to the name of the boy she was standing next to.

"The parents don't try to drive home the whole pureblood deal too much now do they?"

"It's important to know who you are and where you came from. I guess you wouldn't understand would you?" Malfoy's lips had curled up as he caught her eye.

"I don't think much about it. I know who I am."

Malfoy followed her as she walked about the room. He didn't really believe she had no interest in who her parents were. Michelle looked out of the window onto the grounds.

"Atleast you have a pretty view." Michelle hated to admit the grounds really were impressive.

Draco came up behind her to look out as well. Michelle could feel his breath on her hair. If he was trying to intimidate her, she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction. She stood still calmly.

Draco wondered why she didn't tell him to back off. He could smell lavender when he stood this close to her. She must be wearing perfume. Still she didn't move and Draco remained confused. Didn't she realize he could send her through the window if he really wanted to? He didn't want to, but it was possible all the same. He could throttle her where she stood. It would be easy to just wrap his arm around her neck. He lifted his hand slowly. Her hair looked soft. His fingers came closer to the back of her head.

Both Michelle and Draco jumped when the door opened.

"Tea is served, sir." Worth stared at them, his eyebrow raised.

Draco pulled his hand away and backed up quickly. "You may go now Worth." Malfoy virtually stomped towards the door. "C'mon, Mother will not like it if we make her wait."

"Can I leave my backpack in here? I'm getting tired of lugging it around."

Malfoy sounded annoyed. "Fine. Just get moving."

Michelle tossed the pack onto the bed before following Malfoy as they went back towards the staircase. They continued past the landing to the smaller hallway that went the opposite direction. Entering the first door, Michelle saw Narcissa waiting for them. Michelle's breath caught in her throat. "Overdone Ornate" should be the name for this room. Draco told her it was his mother's receiving room. Michelle could honestly say she had now seen every version of pink that was in exsistence. Narcissa motioned to them to join her at the table. The spread looked as though it could feed a family of eight.

Michelle went to sit down when Narcissa called out, stopping her movement.

"Draco! You are the gentleman in the room. Do your duty."

Michelle watched as Draco first pulled out the chair for his mother then came around the table to do the same for Michelle.

"If you tell anyone from school about this I swear..." he whispered harshly in her ear.

"They wouldn't believe me." She whispered back.

"What was that Miss Larson?" Narcissa had tossed on the fake smile again.

"I was just saying I can't believe how impressive the table looks."

"We Malfoy's strive for perfection in everything."

No wonder Draco is so messed up, Michelle thought as she watched Narcissa pour the tea.

The room was quiet as Draco's mother served the tea and filled their plates with small cakes and scones. Draco kept stealing glances at Michelle. He seemed to be waiting for her to make a smart ass comment about her surroundings. His mind raced with possible responses, but she kept still.

Michelle took a sip of her tea cautiously. She didn't really believe Narcissa would be so careless as to poison her in this situation, but she didn't really trust her either. Well, nothing was happening and the tea tasted like tea, which meant it didn't taste much like anything to Michelle. No wonder she couldn't make a decent cup of the stuff.

Narcissa's eyes seemed glued to Michelle's face.

"Draco mentioned you graduated this past semester..." Narcissa delicately took a bite of her cookie.

"Yes I did, Mrs. Malfoy."

"What are you planning to do now?"

"I'm going to continue my studies before becoming a teacher." That and hopefully save your son, she thought.

"A teacher? I suppose someone must do it. We have much bigger plans for our Draco."

Michelle snuck a peak at Draco's face. The hint of red had appeared again.

"Really? What is the big plan for Draco?"

Narcissa smiled in her son's direction, though she didn't appear to be actually looking at him.

"He will be running the Ministry of Magic one day."

Michelle stiffled a surprised laugh. Guess you couldn't admit he would be a Death Eater to just anyone. "Running the Ministry. I'm not sure I see Draco as a bureaucrat."  
"Draco is already a leader in school. He was born to be a leader. He is a Malfoy after all."

Michelle turned in her chair. "And do you want to be head of the Ministry?"

Draco seemed startled by the question. Normally discussions of his future didn't involve his opinion.

"Maybe..." he looked to his mother and seeing her reaction changed his answer. "Yes, of course I do..." his voice dropped off just enough his mother didn't hear the rest, "...that is the plan after all..."

They continued talking for another 20 minutes. Narcissa seemed content to ramble her way through every bit of Malfoy achievement over the last 50 years. She talked about the house, the land, the family, the money, and on and on. Michelle kept up as best she could, but as Narcissa attempted to explain the complex family tree that seemed to keep coming back on itself, Michelle found herself focusing less and less on what she was saying. Instead, she paid more attention to just how little Narcissa even seemed to need Michelle and Draco to be there to hear what she was saying. Narcissa would be content just talking whether anyone was there or not.

Draco's eyes would roll with one comment, his head bowing to his chest in embarrassment with the next. He must have heard these stories a million times. All of them were reminders of how great they and the family were. He twitched suddenly, sitting up like a rabbit going on its hind legs to survey his surroundings.

Michelle felt it too. She couldn't explain it, but the hair on her arms went up. Then she heard the footsteps and the muffled thud of something hitting the floor in the same rhythm.

"Narcissa, my dear, Worth says we have a guest..." Lucius Malfoy had entered the room.

Michelle turned to look at him. "Mr. Malfoy..."

His eyebrow raised, "Here to take me up on my offer Miss Larson?"

Narcissa was perplexed. "What offer darling?"

"An offer of protection...she did tell you she was a Seer didn't she?"

Narcissa's expression went dark. "No dear, she did not." She shot Draco a withering look. "And neither did our son."

Draco shared a nervous glance with Michelle. "I didn't want to tell you Mother. I knew it would upset you."

Lucius bent down to speak to Michelle, "Narcissa had an upleasant encounter with a Seer once. As you can see, Narcissa survived...I cannot say the same for the Seer." Lucius righted himself and went to stand behind his wife. His hand fell onto her shoulder, casually brushing her blonde hair aside to brush his fingers on her neck.

Michelle was now very nervous and very creeped out. She looked at each member of the Malfoy family. Her only ally seemed to be Draco.

Draco.

Ally.

These two words did not go together well.

Michelle thought of two words that went together perfectly.

Bloody hell.

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A/N Don't worry, I do realize I am freakishly fond of ending with one or two word sentences. I will try and work on this.


	6. Persuasion

Chapter 6: Persuasion

"Draco, I would like to speak to your father alone. Perhaps you and the Seer should go for a walk." Narcissa's eyes shifted from Michelle's to her son's.

"Yes Mother..." Draco stood and lead Michelle into the hallway closing the door behind them.

Michelle went straight to Draco's room. She grabbed her backpack then grabbed Draco by the arm.

"We don't have much time..." Michelle pulled him with her into the hall and down the stairs.

"Where are you going?" Draco yanked himself free and stopped.

"I think the better question is where are WE going..."

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Lucius took a seat opposite his wife.

"This Seer, is she the one you were telling me about?" Narcissa hissed the words at him.

"I believe she is. Rumors have been running about that a new Seer is responsible for delaying the Dark Lord's plan. Trelawney has been detained by Dumbledore so no one we could speak to knows what actually happened at Azkaban. Miss Larson is a new Seer who will be teaching at Hogwarts. It seems likely she is the one responsible for the setback."

"When did you speak to her?"

"I saw her in The Leaky Cauldron. I suggested she needed a safe place to hide. We wouldn't want Lord Voldemort getting his hands on her would we?"

"Shall we tell the others?"

"We don't want to do anything to make Dumbledore suspicious. She will stay here where we can keep an eye on her. I want to know why she has come to us." Lucius stretched out his hand to touch his wife's.

Narcissa's fingers intertwined with his. She smiled faintly.

"I will tolerate her presence for the moment." Narcissa stood and came over to her husband. She carefully sat herself down onto his lap, letting go of his hand to brush her fingers through his hair. "Once we have gotten the truth from her, she is mine to deal with...understood." She tugged his hair to make her point.

He smiled up at her. "Anything thing for you my love..." He lifted his chin and kissed her, a wicked laugh filtering through his throat.

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Michelle lead Draco through the front door. She moved quickly over the lawn towards the wooded area she'd seen from Draco's window. Once they were out of view, she paused to catch her breath.

"I have a feeling your mother is going to throw me out of here soon. I need you to listen to me."

Draco sat at the base of a tree and stretched out his legs. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and glared at her. Still, he was listening so Michelle figured she could put up with his attitude for the time being.

"I know we have never gotten along. But, you have to trust me. If you try and sneak your way into the Death Eater meeting or gathering or whatever it is, you will be killed. I know you already have a plan in your head on how to get there."

"And what is this plan in my head?"

"Stonehenge."

Draco tensed up.

"It's where they are going to meet. Even without a portkey for yourself, being in Wiltshire makes it easier for you to get there on your own."

Michelle watched his expression and as he got angrier, she knew he believed her.

"You're going to fly partway on your broom and walk the rest. I know you've been sneaking into your father's things. You know what sort of spells and charms they use to hide their location. You are going to be able to get close to them. It won't do much good, because they are going to kill you."

"Even if any of what you are saying is true, my father would not let anything happen to me."

"He doesn't know it's you. You come out of hiding without announcing yourself. They kill you instantly."

"So, in order to live, I have to be sure and not go to this meeting."

Michelle relaxed a fraction, maybe she was finally getting through to him. "Yes. Don't go to the meeting."

"But, you also say they kill me because they don't know who I am."

"Right..." Michelle's hope was dashed quickly.

"Fine. I'll get permission to be there. Problem solved." Draco stood up and headed back to the house.

"Shit." Michelle took off after him. She walked quickly to keep up with his pace. "Draco, I got the impression you have to be invited to this sort of meeting. You might get into trouble talking to your father."

"Since when do you care if I get into trouble?"

"Draco, I'm just going to say it. Even if you tell your father, there's no guarantee that you'll be okay. You can't go to the meeting and you can't ask permission to be there."

"What are you going to do to stop me?" He spun on his heel and Michelle ran into him.

Michelle rubbed her nose after it slammed into his chest. She backed away unsure how to answer. She really didn't know what she was going to do.

"What ever I have to do." Michelle tried to sound like she had a plan.

"Of course. And, you have to do something don't you...because you're a Seer."

"Yes."

"It has nothing to do with me." Draco mumbled before walking on.

He had a wounded expression on his face. Michelle ran ahead and turned to face him. She walked backward as she spoke.

"It has everything to do with you." Michelle stole a glance to her side and noticed they were approaching the house. "I'm here because I'm trying to keep you from being killed."

"You're here because it's your job."

She grabbed his shoulders and forced him to stop.

"MY JOB! This is not MY JOB! This is who I am. This is who I chose to be. I have been given this strange ability, which right now is a complete pain in the ass. And, like it or not, I'm going to help you." Michelle realized she was holding onto his shoulders so hard her arms were shaking. She let go, pulling her arms up to her chest protectively. "Sorry, I didn't mean to accost you. I just wanted you to listen."

"You've made your point." Draco said quietly.

"I have?" Michelle's ears perked up. "So, you won't go to the meeting?"

"I won't go to the meeting."

"And you won't go to your father?"

"I won't go to my father." He sounded listless as he answered.

Michelle frowned. He gave in too easily. "The meeting is in a couple of days right?"

Draco nodded.

"Why don't you come to London with me? We can hang out. That way I can be sure that you won't be going and getting yourself killed."

"Come to London...with you?" Draco regarded her cautiously. She sounded sincere enough. He was just about to answer her when his mother's voice was carried across the lawn. Narcissa was calling them back inside.

Draco called out to her. He began walking towards the door.

"You better come inside. I think I can convince Mother that you need to head for home."

"Maybe I should just run for it now."

"You wouldn't make it to the gate." Draco tilted his head to the left and Michelle finally noticed Worth shadowing them.

They reached the front door. Draco held it open as Michelle hesitated.

"I can do this." He smiled, a glint igniting his eye, "Now it's your turn to believe me."

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a/n I hope I have my geography right. I refered to the HP Lexicon to get the location of the Malfoy's place. Once again, I haven't written the next chapter before putting this one up, but since Flying Purple Cat reviewed and said her birthday was on Thursday, I decided to post early. Happy B-day! Also, thanks to Call-Sugarhigh-Police, rockbaby67, and FPC for the reading and reviewing! There's not a lot of you, but you're faithful which I greatly appreciate!


	7. One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

Chapter 7: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

Draco came out of the receiving room looking less than pleased. Michelle had been waiting in the hall while he spoke to his parents. Hearing the door open, her heart jumped anxiously. Draco didn't say anything as he walked past her.

This was not a good sign. Michelle followed wordlessly, turning back once to catch a glimpse of Narcissa stepping into the hall looking like the cat who'd just caught the mouse. Draco motioned to her and she joined him in his room.

"Well?" Michelle tossed her backpack on the bed as she began to pace.

He shut the door softly before speaking.

"You can leave..."

Michelle cut him off happily.

"Really! Ohhhh, thank you, thank you, thank you..." She would have continued, but the way Draco was pressing his lips tightly together made her stop her mantra.

"Tomorrow."

"What? You have got to be kidding me. Why tomorrow?"

"Mother says she doesn't think you should be travelling when it's getting so close to dusk."

"And the real reason is what?" Michelle slumped onto the bed.

"She wants to know why you are here and she needs time to figure that out."

"You didn't tell her?"

"No, why should I?"

Michelle shrugged. It seemed odd that Draco would keep something like this from his parents. It's not like she'd come there to hurt him...far from it.

"You could have just told them I'd had a vision. I'd seen you injured and I came to tell you what not to do."

"Mother wouldn't have believed me. Besides, it's better for you if they don't know you had a vision about me."

Michelle thought for a moment.

"I guess you're right. Your mom obviously has some serious issues with people like me." Michelle leaned forward towards the chair Draco was sitting in. "Why does your mother have issues by the way?"

Draco regarded her carefully.

"I don't know the whole story. All I know is right after my parents were married a Seer came to tell my mother about a vision he'd had. Mother either didn't believe him or didn't trust him so she took care of him."

"She's a touchy one isn't she. You know, there are a couple of other possiblities. She didn't want to know the truth or she gave him up to Voldermort."

Draco's eyes went dark at the mention of Voldermort's name.

Weird how the name bothers him and he probably hears it all the time, Michelle thought to herself.

"Do your parents talk about being Death Eaters at all?"

"My parents haven't been Death Eaters for years..."

Michelle laughed caustically, "Maybe not openly..."

Draco shot her a hard look.

"You don't know anything about my family..."

Michelle didn't want to admit it, but he was probably right. She had certainly seen some strange behavior today. Behavior she would not have been able to fully predict with the knowledge she did have about the Malfoys.

They fell silent for several minutes. Draco relaxed into his chair, his arms crossed over his chest. Michelle continued to sit, her fingers tugging at the tiny bits of lint on Draco's bed coverings.

"What if I just apperate out of here? How much trouble would that cause?" Michelle still wasn't sure she had convinced Malfoy not to go to the meeting, but she didn't relish the idea of a sleepover.

"That's not possible." He answered simply.

"Sure it is. I apperated here. I can apperate out of here."

"You can apperate if you're outside the gate. Once you're on Malfoy land and you're not a Malfoy..."

Michelle finished the sentence for him.

"...you can't apperate off the land. Great. I'll give your family one thing...your security is pretty solid." Michelle fell silent as she continued thinking. She could try and slip past Worth once everyone had gone to sleep, but it was likely the Malfoys had other ways of keeping people inside their place. And, if Worth was the most normal of these "ways," she wasn't sure she wanted to mess with the alternatives.

"I need to send an owl to Dumbledore. If I don't contact him soon, he's going to think something has happened. I'm sure your parents wouldn't want him coming here unannounced to check on me."

"Hardly." Malfoy stood and went to the door. "Come with me."

Michelle walked beside him as they went downstairs. Reaching the living room, Draco checked first to make sure they were alone. He lead Michelle to the fireplace. He took down a small bowl and handed it to Michelle.

"It'll be faster if you talk to him this way."

"And, I'm guessing your folks will be able to hear everything I say."

He gave her a snitty look. "Then you'll just have to be creative. It's this or have your owl stopped before it leaves the grounds. The note could end up being altered or..."

"Fine." Michelle took a handful of the powder and tossed it into the fireplace. The green flames shot up and she shoved her face into the eerie waves.

Man, she thought, this is so funky. She called out the directions for the fireplace and in moments was speakng to Dumbledore. Michelle kept it brief. She said she was still "visiting" Draco and would be heading out the next day. Michelle gave Dumbledore several meaningful glances. He nodded in the right spots, so Michelle was hopeful that he understood she was not thrilled that she would be spending the night at the Malfoy's. Michelle promised to speak to him again in the morning before she yanked her head out.

"I will never get used to that feeling..." Michelle shook her head and ran her fingers through her mussed hair. Michelle backed away from the fireplace and went towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Draco followed her with his eyes.

She looked at her watch. "Best I can figure, we have a few hours to kill before we eat and before I can graciously retire to my room. I want to check out the grounds and stuff." Michelle paused with the door half open. "You can stay here if you want."

"You're kidding right? Like I'm going to let you run around here without supervision." Draco moved briskly to catch up with her as she exited the room.

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Narcissa rose from her place when she heard the front door opening. Going to the window, she watched as her son and his guest made their way to the gardens at the side of the house. Narcissa had listened to the conversation in the fireplace. Draco must have warned the girl beforehand. The chat with Dumbledore revealed nothing. Narcissa was becoming more and more disappointed in her son's behavior. He knew how she felt about Seers. He also knew how she felt about his disobeying orders. She returned to her workspace. Paging through her book, she found what she had been looking for. Draco was going to be reigned in before he went to the other side.

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Michelle and Draco spent the next few hours walking the grounds. Michelle tried to engage him in conversation in hopes of keeping him on her side. She'd been lucky so far, but she would need his help in the morning.

She asked him about Quidditch...until he groused about Harry and the topic came to a grinding halt. She asked him about his classes...until he complained about Hermione. She was on the verge of starting a new topic when he began ranting about the Weasley family. Frustrated, Michelle fell silent.

It took a few moments, but Draco finally noticed her disinterest.

"So you've learned all you need to know about me then?" He seemed to bark at her.

Michelle moved her gaze from the ground to his face shooting him an annoyed look.

"I haven't learned anything, except you go out of your way to slam Harry, Ron, and Hermione. For not wanting anything to do with them, you sure spend a lot of time thinking about them."

"You can't tell me they don't make you ill sometimes. Hermione always doing Weasley's homework. Ron trying and failing in his attempts to help Harry out of trouble. And Potter, don't even get me started. The three of them together...it's too much."

Michelle laughed. "And you're telling me the power trio of Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle are so much better?"

"Of course, we are Slytherians after all. We are purebloods and should be treated as such."

"No offense, but I think some of the pureblood families have dipped into the same well a few too many times...they are not the best of the best anymore."

"I would trust Crabbe and Goyle over your lot anyday."

Michelle burst out laughing again. "Are you insane? I'm not saying they aren't loyal and all, but Crabbe and Goyle couldn't find their way out of a room with an open door in front of them."

"You had better watch what you say about my friends..."

"Friends! You have people who either fear you or want to impress you because of the name...you don't have friends."

Draco stopped walking abruptly. Michelle felt her cheeks flush as she looked at his face. Even if what she said was true, it was cruel.

"Okay, that did not come out right..." Michelle struggled to backpedal as Draco brushed past her. "I just meant, based on what you and your friends do...they don't seem like real friends to me." She jogged to catch up to him. "Listen, maybe Crabbe and Goyle are your friends, but you know as well as I do that a lot of kids at school are scared of you and do whatever they can to keep on your good side."

Draco slowed down his pace. His hand went to the back of his neck. His fingers kneaded the tensing muscles as he listened to Michelle. Maybe she did have a point. He'd spent most of his school career lording over others. But, he had friends...they just weren't her friends.

Michelle came closer cautiously. "I didn't mean to be so harsh."

He slid his eyes to hers, "Yes, you did."

Michelle felt herself blushing again. "Okay, maybe a little. It's not like we've ever gotten along and I suppose I had some things to say. I just shouldn't have said them that way and not now."

"Not now because you know you can't get out of here without me."

Michelle sighed. "Partly, but also because I need to make sure you don't get yourself hurt." She smiled just a little. "Guess I'm not very good at sweet talking am I?"

The corner of Draco's mouth twitched. He almost smiled. "Certainly not."

Michelle checked her watch, "We should probably head back. I don't want to piss off your mom by being late for supper."

As they reached the front door, Draco touched her arm briefly. "Quick suggestion..." He pulled his hand away when her eyes met his. "Let mother do all the talking..."

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A/N Sort of an abrupt ending but I got a little stuck. Thanks to the usual gang of suspects for keeping up. Ch. 8 is almost done so I may actually update sooner than I usually do!


	8. Trying To Open Pandora's Box

Chapter 8: Trying to Open Pandora's Box

Draco checked his reflection for the millionth time. Hair, fine. Clothes, fine. Overall, pretty damn good. His thoughts nagged at him. Why did he care how he looked? It was just supper at home, same as always. Only, it wasn't same as always. She was here. Once again, she was messing with his head. Why did she have to transfer to his school in the first place? Worse yet, why was she going to still be there in the fall?

He'd heard his parents talking about a Seer who had created a stumbling block in the plan to bring the Dark Lord into power. He supposed it was possible it could be Michelle, but she was barely older than he was...what could she do. He played devil's advocate with himself-Potter was an infant when he faced the Dark Lord and look what happened. He shrugged the thought away. He didn't want to think about any lords, dark or otherwise. He didn't want to think about what could have happened if Michelle hadn't come to see him. All he wanted to think about was getting her to notice him. He checked his reflection...again.

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Michelle had cleaned up quickly. She had some clothes in her backpack, but nothing very dressy. She hadn't planned on eating dinner in any grand manner...or in a grand manor truth be told. She laughed at her own pun. Michelle left her room and went to the study. She knew it would be a few minutes before the call to supper would be made. Walking along the bookcases, she reached up to peruse a title that caught her eye.

Pulling the book out, she was only half surprised to discover it was a shell of a book. The cover was solid and formed to infer a book was there, but it was strictly for show. Michelle wondered if all the books were fake. She had just begun to reach for another title when she heard someone enter the room. She turned quickly, the hand holding the "book" going behind her back.

"Did you find something to read" Draco's face tilted as though he was trying to see what she was hiding.

"Not exactly." Michelle held up the book and spun it so he could see there were no pages.

He joined her by the bookcase. Taking the book from her, he examined it closely.

"I wonder how many of these are fake..." His eyes lifted to scan the shelves.

Michelle inhaled to speak when she noticed a pleasant smell coming from Draco's general direction. She stiffled a giggle. Was he wearing something? No, that would be too weird. He had probably just cleaned up like she had. Michelle had a guess the Malfoy's had only the best soaps available. The one in her bathroom had a faint rose smell to it. There couldn't be any other explanation.

"I'm guessing you don't read many of these then..."

"When Father is in here, he wants to be left alone. And since he's in here most of the time when he's home, I don't come in very often. Besides, I have enough reading to do for school." He replaced the book then looked Michelle over. "You look nice." he said quietly.

Michelle studied his expression. He didn't seem to be teasing.

"Thank you, so do you." Michelle was glad she had something positive to say after what had happened this afternoon. He actually did look nice. Out of the school robes, he seemed less threatening...he didn't seem to loom over her as much. He seemed less tense as well, which helped his general appearance. Michelle never thought he was bad looking. It was just that his behavior was usually so horrid, one was unable to see him seperate from it. He seemed on the verge of being pleasant. Michelle actually shivered at the thought.

Draco lifted an eyebrow, "Are you cold?"

Michelle fumbled for an answer. "Not really...must have been a draft from the window or something..."

Worth entered the room sparing Michelle from another question. Supper was ready and they were being asked to come to the dining room. Draco held the door open for her and Michelle did her best to be gracious at every possible, but still appropriate, opportunity. The outburst in the garden was still weighing on her mind. It was definitely not her proudest moment.

Lucius and Narcissa were already in the room standing near the sideboard. Again, Michelle was overwhelmed by the amount of food set out already. She hesitated, unsure of where she was going to sit. Narcissa smiled, a cool expression on her face. She seemed to enjoy seeing Michelle feeling uncomfortable.

"Miss Larson, your seat is just over here..." her hand motioned to the first seat to the left of the head of the table.

Michelle made her way to the chair. Draco got there seconds before and held the chair out for her.

"Thank you." She gave Draco a slight smile before turning her attention to his parents. Lucius had helped his wife to her seat across from Michelle. He took his seat at the head of the table while Draco sat next to Michelle.

Lucius rang a small bell placed on the table to signal the start of the meal. A couple of women came in and began to serve the first course. Michelle sighed anxiously, saying a quick prayer that the food hadn't been tampered with. She heard Draco chuckling next to her. He lifted an eyebrow when she looked at him. The soup was potato leek and Michelle was glad it tasted as such. Nothing strange so far.

The conversation was light. Lucius told Michelle even more about the house and the Malfoy legacy than his wife had earlier in the day. As each course came and went, Michelle became more and more worried. She was waiting for him to ask why she was there. She was also annoyed by the way Narcissa was staring at her. One second her gaze would be friendly, the next Narcissa looked like she would enjoy nothing more than smacking Michelle silly.

Narcissa started the topic of Hogwarts, speaking mostly to Draco. She asked him about his friends and what their plans were for the final year. Draco did his best to answer her, but friendship had become a sore subject with him today. Narcissa didn't seem satisfied by his responses.

Finally, as dessert was being served, Narcissa started making her move.

"I find it odd darling..." she shifted her gaze to her husband. "Miss Larson comes all this way to see our son, yet he never mentioned her before to us...and he didn't speak about her when talking of his friends this evening...I wonder why it is she is here. It sounds as if they hardly know each other..."

Michelle swallowed the spoonful of ice cream she'd just put into her mouth before she choked on it. "I did just transfer to Hogwarts last year. I guess Draco has more stories about the other students since he's known them longer."

"Hmmm...I suppose that is a possible answer. Perhaps I should give you another chance to come up with something better..." Narcissa's smile had gone ice cold as she looked to Michelle.

Michelle's eyes did a quick scan of the room. She located every possible exit and realised she wasn't very close to any of them.

She kept her voice calm as she lowered her hands to under the table. "I'm not sure what it is you want me to say..." she planned to grab her wand that she had slid into her sock earlier.

"I just want you to tell me the truth. That is what wizards like you are supposed to do isn't it...tell the truth...or your version of it anyway..."

Michelle's hand froze as she considered telling Narcissa some version of the truth. She couldn't imagine they would be angry with her for trying to protect their son. If she left the Death Eater bit out, perhaps they would be more understanding.

Draco watched Michelle. He could sense she was on the verge of telling his parents why she was there. He reached his hand under the table and grabbed her knee just as she opened her mouth. He squeezed it gently. To her credit, Michelle barely reacted, but the way she hesitated before speaking next let Draco know she understood he wanted her to keep quiet.

"I am a Seer yes, but I just came here to see Draco personally...not in any official capacity." Michelle fell quiet. She sounded to herself like a slightly deranged person, but in this place it didn't seem too odd.

"Personally? Draco, why is it you have never spoken about Miss Larson to us before" Her cool stare fell on her son's face.

"I was concerned you would be disappointed in me." Draco sat up straighter in his chair, his hand lifting from Michelle's knee.

"Why would we be disappointed Draco?" Lucius had decided to join in the conversation.

"Because she is an orphan, we have no way of knowing whether or not she is a mudblood. I didn't think you would want me spending time with such a person."

Michelle turned her face to look at him. His answer was entirely believable in this situation.

Narcissa looked disgruntled. She knew his response made sense as well.

Lucius gave his son an approving look. "Your concern for the reputation of our family makes me proud Draco. Still, the chances that a Seer would come from such low beginnings are small. It would take very pure blood to create such a powerful wizard. I suspect your guest is of a clean lineage."

Michelle felt herself becoming more disgusted with the conversation. They were making her sound like a prize winning dog or something. Still, it kept Draco's mother quiet a moment.

"What subject will you be teaching while at Hogwarts?" Lucius asked wiping the last of his dessert from his lips.

Michelle fought to keep her eyes from rolling, she thought the answer was an obvious one. "I'll be helping teach Divination."

Narcissa practically hissed from across the table. "Magic to confuse the feeble minded. They should ban the subject altogether."

"As you can see Miss Larson, my wife does not see any validity to prophecy."

"Not even the prophecy that predicted Voldermort's downfall" Michelle threw a hard look at Narcissa. She knew she should have kept her mouth shut, but she was getting tired of being polite. "That one was on the mark."

"Mark...interesting choice of words..." Narcissa's posture had stiffened like a cobra preparing to strike.

Draco reached under the table and pinched her arm. Michelle couldn't help reacting this time and twisted her head to look at him. Michelle closed her eyes to collect herself before looking back at his mother.

Narcissa's eyes were piercing. "I'm sure I know nothing about such a prophecy...other than the rumors that were spread afterwards."

"So you've never had an experience with a Seer yourself" Michelle asked quietly.

Red flew into Narcissa's face like flames exploding from an out of control fire.

"I have dealt with your kind before. I found nothing to recommend the encounter."

"What did the Seer tell you?" Michelle was almost leaning into the remains of her ice cream.

Draco's eyes bounced nervously between his mother and Michelle. He seriously considered doing a spell to shut Michelle up, but wanted to know the answer to the question too badly.

Lucius reached out and touched his wife's hand. They shared a look that seemed to calm her down. She smiled wickedly.

"The Seer told me I had a choice to make in my life. One option would lead me down a dark, but easy path. The other option would lead me down a path full of struggles."

"What did you choose?"

"I chose not to listen to the Seer."

"And did the prediction come true?"

"Look around and tell me what you think..." Narcissa rose from her seat causing Draco and his father to stand as well. "You must excuse us. Lucius and I have some business to discuss before we retire. Draco, I'm sure you will be able to entertain Miss Larson by yourself." She took Lucius' offered arm and they walked out of the room together.

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"What the bloody hell were you thinking?" Draco's anger seeped through his entire person as he turned on Michelle.

"She was pissing me off." Michelle's hands went to her hips defensively as she stood toe to toe with him.

"You understand you may have ruined your chance at leaving in the morning." Draco stared down at her, abusing the height difference. For the first time since she'd come into the house, Michelle felt like she was looking at the Draco she knew from school.

"She knows I've spoken to Dumbledore. If she keeps me here, she will regret it."

"I wouldn't make those sorts of threats in this house. You never know who might be listening."

Michelle pursed her lips. He was right. She needed to get over her annoyance with his mother and calm down. Draco's hand went to his forehead. He rubbed his temples. Pulling his hand back, Michelle could see the sketches of pain on his expression.

"You okay? You don't look so good." Michelle spoke flatly, still simmering inside.

"It's just a headache...started during dinner." He looked to her ruefully. "Wonder what could have brought it on..." he said dryly.

Michelle let the comment slide. "I have some stuff in my backpack that might help." She moved towards the door.

"No thanks. Mother would go ballistic if she knew I was taking something you offered me." He followed her into the hall. "I can take care of it myself."

"Snape always said you were exceptional at potions. Something to cure a headache should be a breeze."

Draco perked up a bit. It almost sounded like she was paying him a compliment. They made their way upstairs. Michelle's room was two doors down from Draco's. He leaned his back against the wall as she opened her door. She stood inside the frame collecting her thoughts.

"Listen, I'm sorry I got all confrontational with your mother tonight. Looks like I'm 0 for 2 with the Malfoy's today..." She gave him a brief smile. He didn't seem to want to lighten up. Michelle couldn't really blame him. Her face went serious. "Are you sure you don't want anything for that headache?"

"I'll be fine. I just need to close my eyes and rest."

"Okay." Michelle began to enter her room, but stepped back as though she'd forgotten something. Her arm reached out, and for a brief moment, her hand rested gently on Draco's wrist. "In case I forgot to mention it, you were pretty sharp when you mentioned the mudblood thing during supper. I'm sure your mom wouldn't be happy to hear you speaking up for someone like me." She let her hand fall back to her side, her fingers trailing over his skin as they moved. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night." Draco had to force himself to speak. He didn't move from his spot against the wall as she shut her door. He could still feel her hand on him, her touch kind and oddly comforting. He reached for his temples again, this time rubbing with the heels of both hands. Damn this freaking headache. Damn her for making him feel all strange around her. This person standing in the hallway was not who he was...or atleast it was not who he was told to be. The only reason he'd ever messed with her in school was to annoy Potter. It didn't have anything to do with her. He kept repeating that sentence to himself as he returned to his room unsure he would get any sleep.

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Narcissa slid the invisiblity cloak off her body as she returned to her husband's study. She and Lucius had gone there directly from the dining room. Narcissa had taken the cloak from its hiding place, leaving Lucius to do his work in quiet. She had then followed her son and Michelle to the hallway, listening to their entire conversation.

Lucius looked up as she reappeared at the edge of his desk. "Darling, what have you found out?"

"I'm afraid to report our son seems to be interested in this girl. It was almost sickening to watch him linger outside her door after saying good night. But, he will return to his true nature this evening."

"Is he ready?" Lucius tied the last of his notes to a large, tawny owl before taking it to an open window.

Narcissa joined him and they watched the owl fly off into the darkness. "I heard him complaining of a headache. I will go to him soon when the potion has fully gone into effect. Have you contacted everyone?"

"Just sending out the final instructions. I made sure to cover our tracks. No one will be able to trace this back to us...they may guess at our involvement, but they will be able to prove nothing."

Narcissa smiled darkly. "We have some time before the plan goes into motion..." Her hand slid up the front of his suit coat. Tugging at the lapel, she drew him closer. She licked along his jawline before kissing him deeply. Lucius laughed into her throat unsure which delighted him more, her lips or her perverse mind. Both would come into play this evening and he would be the better for it.

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a/n: I have to admit, this story is going a little differently than I had first imagined it, but I think it'll be the better. I guess we'll just have to see. The luxury of JKR having not really delved into the home life of the Malfoy's is you get to really play around with many scenarios. I'm sure I'm taking some liberties here, but they come from my belief that Draco is the way he is because of his parents. The movies have made him sort of a weird comic relief while the books have left him open to other possibilities. I would hope he is not as one dimensional as he sometimes comes across. For example, I think the theory that he and Harry will have to work together is a solid one. If they don't, I think I will actually be disappointed. Sorry for the tangent, but I felt the need to offer it up. Also, I hope you are enjoying the darker aspects of the story. It must be okay since the 3 of you have hung around thus far, but I'd like to know what you think anyway.


	9. Out Of The Frying Pan

Chapter 9: Out Of The Frying Pan...

He hadn't heard her enter his room. All his focus had been on getting rid of his headache. He'd tried a standard pain relief potion, but it hadn't touched the endless throb branching out in his head. He'd made his room as dark as possible and lay down, trying not to move. He wasn't even sure how long he'd been trying to fall asleep when he finally noticed someone near his bed.

Draco's eyes opened slowly. The black shape to his side finally took form as his sight adjusted to the dark. It was his mother. How disappointing.

"What is it?" His voice was thick and dull.

Narcissa sat herself gently down onto the side of the bed.

"I wanted to check on you. You didn't seem well after supper." Her hand reached out. She brushed her fingertips softly over his forehead. Narcissa lightly stroked his hair.

Draco appreciated the calming effect the rhythmic motion had on him. He couldn't remember the last time she had taken care of him when he was sick. He usually took care of himself.

Narcissa watched her son and a smile came to her face as she noticed the tension ebbing from his. He was almost ready.

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Michelle shifted in her bed. She couldn't sleep. There was nothing wrong with the room. The bed was great if the truth be told. It was definitely the house. Or rather, the people in the house. Michelle felt okay with Draco around, but his parents were another story.

After tossing and turning for the millionth time, Michelle got out of bed. She tiptoed around the room. She wished she'd brought something to read. Picking up her bag, she began digging through it in hopes of finding something to entertain herself with. It was then that a flash of green light caught her attention.

Michelle moved towards the window. The light had come from outside. Straining to see in the bleak dark of night, Michelle could just make out shapes moving over the lawn. It was too dark to tell if they were human or not. The hair on her arms went up prompting her to throw on her shoes and grab her wand.

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Draco heard his mother telling him to sit up. He heard her telling him to open his mouth and drink the potion she so readily poured down his throat. He felt her taking his face in her hands. He heard her murmuring a spell he was unfamiliar with in his ear. As the last word of the spell freed itself from her lips, all hell broke loose in his head.

The pain was almost more than he could stand. Searing, blinding, nauseating pain coursed through his neck and down into the rest of his body.

Stop, please make it stop. Draco could hear himself begging, but couldn't feel himself saying the words. He forced his eyes open to see his mother's face directly in front of him. Why wasn't she doing anything to help him? Couldn't she see how much he was in pain?

Narcissa's head tilted as she watched her son quake. Almost there, she told herself.

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The last place she wanted to go was Draco's room, but she didn't have much of a choice. Michelle was not going to just roam the house alone. She tried to reason away the light she had seen. Maybe it was a part of the Malfoy security? If so, Draco would know and she could go back to bed.

Michelle paused outside his door. She pressed her ear to the wood and could just hear some sort of moaning inside. Her stomach turned. Oh, crap, I hope he's not doing what it sounds like he's doing. She made herself listen again just to be sure. Her eyes flew open wide. The moaning had combined with a plea for help. Michelle hastily opened the door.

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Narcissa leaned in closer. She began to whisper another spell to him. A shaft of light suddenly broke through the dark of the room. Narcissa turned to see Michelle standing in the open doorway.

"What the hell?" Michelle had not expected to see Narcissa in Draco's room. Her wand raised, but it was too late.

Narcissa had uttered her spell before Michelle could even think of one herself. Narcissa felt better hearing the smack of Michelle's body hitting the wall as the spell sent her flying backward. She could just make out Michelle's head taking a hard hit as her body crashed to the floor.

"Lucius..." Narcissa called out.

Her husand appeared in the hallway, standing over Michelle's limp body. "Yes, my dear?"

"Pick that up will you?" Narcissa lazily motioned to Michelle.

"Of course." Lucius bent down and gathered her up into his arms. He jostled her, not bothering to mind her ankles as he spun in the hall causing them to thud against the door frame. "Where would you like me to put this?"

"Where we discussed darling...or don't you remember?" Narcissa's eyes gleamed from delight.

"To the front gate I go then..." He started to walk away, but came back. "Do you need help with Draco?"

Narcissa smiled. "Have I ever darling? I will take care of our son then everything will be ready."

"I will meet you in our room when I return."

"I will be waiting most readily for you my love..."

Lucius felt a shiver go up his spine. Tonight was a very good night to be Lucius Malfoy.

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It was the pain in her ankles that awoke Michelle. She sat up too quickly and almost passed out again. Her head hurt, her back hurt, her ankles hurt...what the bloody hell had happened? She remembered going to check on Draco. Ewww...why was Draco's mom in his room? Damn this family was twisted. Michelle rubbed her eyes trying to clear her vision.

Slowly, she discovered she was outside. The grass was cool and damp making her butt cold. She rose to her feet. As she brushed the debris from her body, she took inventory of herself and her surroundings. She had no wand. She could see the Malfoy Mansion from where she was, but she was standing at the front gate. Her body tensed. How did she get out here? What was she going to do if she ran into Worth...or something worse? Tentatively, she touched the front gate. Strangely, it was unlocked. Part of her brain was screaming at her to get out of there and run. The other part was screaming at her to stay put, that the gate being open was just a little to convenient. Turns out, she didn't have to do anything.

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Draco was a few feet from the front gate. He was unclear as to how he got outside, but he knew what he was supposed to do. He could just make out Michelle from where he stood. He could hear his mother's voice in his head. He came closer silently. Raising his wand, he hit her from behind and she fell to the ground. He jogged to her and checked that she was still breathing. Standing up, he lit his wand and signaled to the shadowy figures that had been hoveringby the trees. Four hooded figures came to join him. One carried a cauldron to his side. Draco watched with no expression as another figure waved his wand and lifted Michelle's body. Pushing the gate open, the four figures, Michelle, and Draco went off of Malfoy grounds. They walked only a few yards before Michelle started twitching. She was waking up. Quickly, her body was lowered to the ground. Taking a bit of rope from his robe pocket, one figure tied Michelle's wrist to the handle of the cauldron. Everyone else grabbed on and in seconds the port key took them to a new location.

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"Michelle...time to wake up..."

"Just five more minutes..." Michelle sighed still stuck somewhere in her own head.

"You need to wake up now."

Michelle felt someone's foot push up against her back to bring the point home.

"Wake up before I make you wake up."

Michelle opened her eyes and saw Draco standing over her. She sat up and again felt cold ground under her. This time she was not in the Malfoy's front yard. Michelle had no idea where she was exactly.

"What's happening?" She extended her hand hoping Draco would take hold of it and help her stand.

Draco ignored her gesture for assistance.

Michelle frowned. She pushed herself up onto her feet. Her flannel pants and t-shirt were covered with bits of grass and dirt. Damn, it was chilly out here.

"Didn't you hear me? I asked what was happening...what's going on?" She came closer to Draco and tried to look him in the eye.

"You'll find out soon enough." He took a step forward, hovering over her.

Michelle couldn't read his face. He didn't seem like himself. Or he didn't seem like the Draco she'd been spending time with for most of the day. Something was wrong. She began to back away from him. Michelle's eyes darted around, but all she could see was forest. She spotted the smallest of paths to her right. Michelle took off running but was cut off just as she reached it.

A hooded figure stepped into her way, a wand protruding from the sleeve of the robe. Michelle skidded to a stop and veered in another direction. There was no path, but she wasn't hanging around here. A second figure came from behind a tree. Out of the corner of her eye, Michelle could see a third and a fourth figure appearing not far from where she was. Her heart beat madly. She tried to apperate, but went no where. Maybe she was still on the Malfoy grounds after all. Michelle turned to face Draco. He hadn't moved. He didn't even seem to be aware of his surroundings.

Michelle ran over to him and grabbed his shoulders harshly. She shook him, trying desperately to get some sort of reaction. Nothing was working.

"What did you do to him?" Michelle's gaze fell on each figure as they came closer. She moved so Draco was behind her, trying to protect him as best she could.

"They didn't do anything to me." Draco's voice was like ice in her ears.

She yelped as he pushed her roughly to the ground. Falling on her knees, she was bent down in front of one of the figures. His hand extended to grab her shoulder and that's when she saw the mark...the mark of a Death Eater. Her blood ran cold as she was lifted to her feet. The figures had circled around her, leaving a small gap through which Draco could approach. He moved slowly towards her. Stopping just inches from her body, he lifted his hand and ran one finger down her cheek before grabbing her by the nape of the neck. He brought her face closer till his nose brushed hers. His mouth lifted into a smirk.

"Looks like your vision was wrong...welcome to my initiation..."

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A/N First off, Happy Late Birthday to rockbaby67! Hope it was a good one. So I went ahead and put this chapter up even though I haven't heard from anyone in about a week. I'm feeling a bit lonely and I had this chapter half written when I posted Ch. 8 so I've been anxious to get it up here. Ch. 10 is also done, but I don't want to get too far ahead because there are only 2-3 chapters left till the story is done. So once I've heard from you crazy folks out there Ch. 10 will be on its way.


	10. Into The Fire

Chapter 10: ...Into The Fire

Michelle forced her hands between their bodies and pushed against Draco as hard as she could. He only moved a few inches, but it was enough to give Michelle room to breathe.

"I don't understand." She fought to control her emotions.

"It's simple really. I am going to become one of the Death Eaters and you are going to help me." Draco's voice was lifeless.

"I hate to break it to you, but I'm not going to help you do sh..."

Draco slapped her hard before she could finish. Michelle's hand immediately went up to her cheek. Her eyes flashed with anger as she tried to rub the burning sensation from her face. Two of the figures grabbed her wrists while forcing her to her knees in front of Draco. She struggled against them. She tried yelling out spells, but her efforts were cut short by kicks to her stomach. Falling forward, she coughed harshly at Draco's feet. She took the opportunity to spit at him. One of the figures grabbed her by the hair and yanked her head back. Michelle smiled wickedly at Draco in hopes of confusing him. She needed to buy some time. She needed a plan.

Her eyes shifted to some movement behind Draco. One of the figures was pulling an object from the pocket of its robe. He handed it to Draco, who held it up for her to see.

Michelle groaned.

"A knife! You have got to be kidding me!" She squirmed as Draco tauntingly moved it in front of her face. "I'll have you know I've been stabbed a couple of times and survived. This is getting a bit redundant if you ask me..."

"I'm not asking...and I'm not going to stab you..." Draco nodded at the man on Michelle's right.

"Uh...okay?" Michelle's gaze shifted to her right side. The man was lifting her hand and forcing it palm side up. His other hand slipped around her to cover her mouth as Draco ran the knife over her palm slicing it open.

Michelle cried out, but her expression of pain was muffled. The man who'd handed Draco the knife squeezed her palm to force out as much blood as possible. He dipped his finger into the pool that had formed. Michelle stared as he drew the mark of a Death Eater on Draco's now exposed forearm. Her wet blood gleamed on Draco's white flesh almost making her sick. Draco then sliced into his own palm and his blood was added to the drawing. The fourth figure came closer and waved his wand over Draco's arm while saying some sort of chant. Michelle couldn't hear what he was saying. Her two captors released her arms. She pulled her injured hand into her chest protectively.

Draco looked down at her. "Don't worry. Only one step more and we'll be done."

"Great. There's a re-run of Buffy I want to watch tonight..." Michelle pulled herself to her feet.

Draco chuckled coldly. "I'm glad to see your humor hasn't left you...yet." Draco motioned with his arm and the figures backed away several feet. They formed a rough circle by extending their arms and wands out from their sides. Michelle guessed she wouldn't be able to just run past them.

"So, what does happen now?" Michelle figured she had to move quickly when she got the chance. A crazy thought had entered her head, but it would only work if they really were on Malfoy land.

Draco began circling her, taking slow, measured, strides. "Once the mark is permanent I will be a Death Eater."

"Better stock up on deoderant because water is now your enemy..."

"The mark becomes permanent when I complete the next task."

"That task being..." Michelle wanted to keep him talking.

"Killing the person whose blood was used to create the mark."

"Hey, there's a shocker. You can kill yourself first if you want..." She turned her head to follow his movements.

"Very funny...you know what I mean."

"I don't think you can do it."

Draco's grin broke out wildly. "Is that so?"

"Yep. You like me. You won't be able to go through with it."

"I am going to follow in the footsteps of my father and his father and all the Malfoys before them. I will go through with it." He had made his circles smaller as he spoke. Draco paused directly behind Michelle. He took her by the waist and pulled her up against his body. With his arms wrapped around her tightly, he felt her struggling. "That feels very good..."

Michelle raised her foot and stomped down on his as hard as she could. She felt him cringe, but he didn't let go. She twisted and shook them both, but to no avail. He was stronger than she thought. Michelle stopped fighting him. It was obvious it was doing no good and it was making her tired.

Draco bent his head. Using his nose, he pushed some of her hair away from her neck. He began kissing her skin till he heard one of the figures clear his throat.

He shot a glance towards the figure. "She owes me. This won't take long..."

"Sounds like that rumor's true..." Michelle regretting smarting off as Draco took the opportunity to bite her.

"I suggest you keep your mouth shut if you know what's good for you..." He continued to kiss her, moving up her neck to her ear.

Michelle held back a cry of disgust. If he sticks his tounge in there so help me..., she thought.

But instead of feeling his tounge, she felt his breath as he whispered to her.

"Please tell me you have a plan..."

Michelle's breath caught in her throat. She didn't believe what she'd heard.

"What?" She turned her face towards his and whispered.

He continued kissing her ear lightly, "You better have a plan because I can't stall them for much longer."

Michelle locked her eyes on his. She saw fear in them for a brief moment before he put the wall up again.

"When it happens, think about going to my apartment..."

"When what happens..." Draco ran his tounge along the curve of her ear.

"You'll know, trust me." Michelle could sense the Death Eaters becoming restless so she resumed her struggle.

Draco lifted his face and spun her harshly.

"This is going to be rough...well, for you anyway..." He laughed and nodded towards the men surrounding them.

Michelle was in no way prepared. Draco's hands clenched around her throat. She immediately reached up and tried to pull them away. She grabbed at his wrists, but he kept squeezing tighter. She was becoming light headed.

Draco felt her weakening. He let go and watched her wither to the ground. She coughed and sputtered, drawing in deep breaths desperately.

Michelle curled up into a ball on the grass. All she could think about was how she'd been fooled and she was going to die.

Draco knelt next to her. He could hear the men murmuring. They would expect him to finish her off now. He pushed her onto her back. Straddling her waist, he casually put his hands around her throat, but didn't apply any pressure. She could feel the blood from his palm slick against her skin this time.

"Do you have anything to say before we are finished?" Draco watched her anxiously.

"Incindio spherical." Michelle lifted her bleeding hand to make a circular motion, pointing just inside the ring of figures. Flames shot up from the ground as the grass caught fire. The figures weren't being touched, but Michelle had created a temporary barrier.

As Draco's attention was diverted to the spectacle around him, she punched him in the jaw with all the energy she had left. He fell to the side and Michelle used the momentum to roll their bodies. She was running out of time.

"My apartment...think about going there now!" Michelle stretched herself out over him. She forced her hands around him. She could only guess that they would need to be touching as much as possible. She tried to apperate, but nothing happened.

"Shit!" She yelled out desperately. The figures were starting to get the flames under control. A thought popped into her head. "Give me your bloody hand!"

"What?"

"Your hand...the one you cut open...hold it up." Michelle yelled out the fire spell again and could hear one of the figures cry out in pain. Just a few more seconds. She just hoped the noise from the fire was covering up her yelling at Draco.

He held up his hand and Michelle stretched his arm up over his head. She pulled her injured hand out from under him. By taking hold of his bleeding hand with hers, they looked like a bizarre couple who had fallen while ballroom dancing. There was only one thing more to do to get closer. Michelle caught Draco's eye.

"Let's try this again..."

Draco nodded in agreement just before Michelle's lips were on his.

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A/N: Okay, we're getting close now. Definitely one chapter left, probably 2. I'm not sure where FPC went, but since RB67 and CSHP have caught up I'm feeling guilty making you two wait. Hopefully FPC will return once she's done with her tests...GSE's or something? Let me know what you think of this one.


	11. Home Again

Chapter 11: Home Again

In a split second, Draco felt something soft under him. He was no longer on the ground. They must have made it. His entire body seemed to sigh with relief. He was afraid to open his eyes. He could feel Michelle's lips leaving his.

"Draco? Can you hear me? Are you okay?" Michelle spoke softly, her face still close.

He nodded, but still did not open his eyes.

"We're all right. No one can hurt us here." Michelle could feel his hand continuing to grip hers tightly.

Draco finally looked at her. He could see the marks on her neck from his hands. He had never felt so ashamed. His gaze lifted from her neck to her hazel eyes before he spoke.

"I'm sorry." His free hand brushed her neck before slipping behind her head. He held her gaze a second longer before pulling her closer. His lips crushed hers as he kissed her. Michelle struggled at first, but the kiss felt so desperate, so sad, that she let him continue. She didn't really kiss him back, but she didn't stop him.

Draco slowly became aware of her hesitation, of the awkwardness of the kiss. He released her carefully, unsure of what to do or say.

Michelle gave him a brief, knowing smile before she lifted herself up and off of him. As she rose, he took notice of where they were. He was laying on a bed. The room was messy, but in a way that suggested the owner was out living a life rather than obsessing over neatness. Draco sat up and spotted the picture of Harry and Michelle near her bed. He frowned. Why did Potter get whatever he wanted? It wasn't fair.

"So..." Michelle had curled up onto a chair a few feet away.

"Nice room."

"Thanks. You okay?"

"Okay enough. How did we get here?"

"Apperated."

"How did you know I could apperate?"

"Didn't. No offense, but I assumed you couldn't yet."

Draco smiled wryly, "You have a bad habit of assuming a lot about me."

"I'm noticing that." Michelle inhaled deeply, feeling every ache and sign of fatigue that riddled her body. "Do you know where we were?"

Draco shook his head. "No. They used a portkey once we stepped beyond the front gate."

"Your mother didn't tell you?"

"I not sure what exactly my mother told me." He reached up and rubbed the back of his neck.

Michelle's eyes followed the movement of his arm and she hopped up quickly from her seat.

"Crap! I forgot about your hand..." She came over and yanked him up from the bed. Dragging him into the bathroom, she turned on the faucet. Taking him by the wrist, she stuck his hand under the warming water. "Stay here."

Draco watched as she left. He turned back to his hand and couldn't help but catch a glimpse of himself in the mirror. This wasn't the same face he'd spent most of the early part of the evening staring at. He looked exhausted. And strangely, he looked older. Draco shifted his gaze to the bloody drawing on his arm. He grabbed some soap and scrubbed it off harshly.

Michelle returned annoyed. "I can't find my healing potion. I haven't stocked up on supplies since I got back so we'll just have to go with Muggle meds."

Her eyes skimmed his arm. He'd washed off the mark. From the looks of it, he'd practically dug into his own flesh to get every bit of the blood off. She turned off the water and gently dried his hand. The cut was long and deep, slicing a diagonal across his palm. She carefully rubbed on some antibacterial cream. Michelle had raided her first aid kit to find gauze and tape. She did her best to cover the wound.

"It's not the best looking dressing, but it'll do for now."

"Thanks. What about you?" Draco nodded toward her hand.

"It'll take just a sec." She repeated the same procedure quickly. Draco did his best to help her, even with his bandaged hand.

"Let's go sit down. We have a lot to talk about." Michelle moved away so Draco could exit the bathroom.

He walked to the living room and took a seat on the couch. "Why did you kiss me?"

Michelle paused mid-step. Of course he would ask that question first. "Do you want something to drink?"

"No, I want an answer to my question."

Michelle joined him on the couch, but sat at the opposite end. "I tried to apperate from where ever we were and it didn't work. It seemed reasonable to guess we were on Malfoy land. I thought at first I could just...I don't know...bear hug you or something and we could get out."

Malfoy absently rubbed his palm, "The blood from my hand and yours..."

"Exactly, can't get much closer than the sharing of bodily fluids. Tossed the kiss in just to make sure it would work."

"Sure. You wouldn't just kiss me on your own...definitely would have to be a life or death situation." His voice trailed off quietly.

Michelle sighed. "We'll come back to that discussion. I want to know what happened with your mother."

Draco's face darkened. "She came into my room. My headache was bothering me. She told me she was going to help. She would make the pain go away. I drank something and it was like my head was splitting open."

"I heard you moaning. That's why I came out to check on you."

"I didn't see you. Mother leaned in and she began whispering spells in my ear. I had forgotten most of them. She's done this before, but the last time was when I was little...right before I came to Hogwarts for my first term."

Michelle frowned. "Any idea what the spells do?"

Draco shrugged. "Not exactly. All I know is I felt like I had to leave. I knew, somehow, that you were outside and I needed to join you. I knew Death Eaters would be there and they would take us away. I knew I was supposed to become one of them."

"So why didn't you?"

"There was another voice, way deep down. It kept telling me that something was wrong. It wasn't supposed to happen this way. It wasn't supposed to happen at all." Draco lifted his eyes to look at Michelle. "Maybe I was remembering what you'd told me about the dream. Maybe I was afraid something was going to go wrong and I would die."

Michelle reached out her hand to softly touch his. "The voice in your head? I think it was your voice...your real voice. Not your parents', not your friends', no one's but your own."

"You're saying I don't want to be a Death Eater? That's like saying I don't want to be a Malfoy."

"I'm saying, you don't want anyone else to tell you who you are going to be. You may very well end up being a Death Eater one day...but it will be your decision to do so, no one else's." Michelle squeezed his hand briefly before pulling back. "When did you decide to help me?"

"When I understood I needed to kill you in order to finish the ceremony."

"What! It was a toss up until that point?"

Draco gave her a small grin, "Sort of..."

Michelle's eyes rolled. "Of all the things to wait till the last second to make a decision on...thanks, thanks a lot..."

"Glad I could help."

"Everything you said about your family and following in their footsteps...was that real or just for show?"

"Both. I think. Maybe."

Michelle was going to continue her questioning, but was interrupted by a green flash in her fireplace.

"Ah! I see you are both here and you are safe. How are you doing?" It was Dumbledore's face smiling at them through the green flames.

"Professor! Oh, crap. I should have contacted you as soon as we got here. We're okay for the most part." Michelle looked to Draco for a confirmation and he nodded at Dumbledore. They both jumped when Lucius' face seemed to pop from the flames, pushing Dumbledore to the side.

"Father!"

"Draco! How thankful I am to see you alive! You disappeared and your mother and I have been frantic! I sent Worth out looking for you and I immediately contacted Dumbledore. I knew he would be worried about Miss Larson as well as you." Lucius gave Michelle a knowing smile. "Worth told us Michelle had left suddenly and when we couldn't find either of you and the front gate was unlocked...well, we just didn't know what to think."

Michelle frowned. She considered telling Dumbledore what really happened, but by the looks of it, Lucius' version was the one that would be heard over hers. She'd speak to Dumbledore alone at a later time.

Dumbledore slid back to the center of the flames. "Yes, well, thank you for your concern Lucius. I was confident Miss Larson would be able to protect herself and your son. I believe she deserves some thanks."

Lucius peered around Dumbledore. "Thank you Miss Larson. I shall never forget what has happened tonight."

Michelle smiled at him. "Neither will I. You can count on that Mr. Malfoy."

"Draco, I shall be expecting you to return home shortly." Lucius spoke to his son, his concern fading quickly.

"Actually Mr. Malfoy, I think Draco should stay here tonight..." Michelle stood and knelt in front of the fireplace.

"I don't believe that would be at all appropriate Miss Larson."

"He needs to rest. We both do. I'm not sure travelling right now would be wise." Michelle held her breath waiting for Lucius to respond.

"I will send someone for him. He will be home in no time. His mother and I will be sure to take care of him."

"That's what I'm afraid of." The sentence slipped out quietly from Michelle's mouth.

"Excuse me?" Lucius' head was almost entirely in her living room.

Dumbledore gently rested his hand on Malfoy's shoulder and pulled him back.

"I must agree with Mr. Malfoy. Draco should return to his family." Dumbledore turned to face Lucius. "I am sure though, that Mr. Malfoy would be happy to give you both some time to say goodbye."

Lucius was stuck. "Of course. Be ready in 15 min. Draco." As suddenly as he'd appeared, Lucius was gone from the flames.

Dumbledore smiled. "I will be talking to you at length tomorrow Michelle. Contact me at your earliest convenience."

"I'll see you then Professor."

Dumbledore's gaze shifted to Draco, "And, Mr. Malfoy...I believe thanks are in order."

"Thanks?"

"I have a feeling you were most helpful this evening. I am impressed."

Draco was caught off guard. The last person he wanted to get praise from was Dumbledore, yet he felt glad to hear it. "Thank you, sir."

"Goodnight then..." Dumbledore vanished with a poof from the green flames.

Michelle stood up slowly. Her knees were killing her.

"We don't have a lot of time left to talk." She returned to the couch, sitting closer to him this time. "I'm still not sure about what your mother did to you. It seems like she came up with some serious mojo to control you...or atleast point you in a very specific direction."

"I know my parents are capable of some really terrible things, but controlling me?..."

"Maybe it's what all the Malfoy's do. Maybe they did it as insurance...you know, to make sure the tradition would continue."

"Some tradition."

"Your not the only person who has parents that give the worst part of themselves to their kids. But, on the up side, you didn't do what they wanted. Let's hear it for teenage rebellion." Michelle tried a smile, but Draco wasn't responding.

They sat in silence for several minutes. Michelle still had questions, but Draco didn't appear to be willing to answer them. A knock at the door shook them both from their respective reveries.

Michelle opened the door to see Worth waiting. "He'll be down in a minute." She promptly shut the door in his face. Her lip curved up in a satisfied smile.

Draco rose and made for the door. Michelle stepped in front of him.

"Hold on a sec. We still have one more thing to clear up."

"What's that..." Draco asked even though he knew what she was going to talk about.

"The kiss...er, kisses actually."

"What about them? You already said you did it to get us out of trouble."

"That's true. It seemed like a good idea at the time. Plus, if I was going to die it seemed a good idea to be close to someone I liked at the moment it happened."

"Like?"

"Yes, Draco. Like. I have to be honest. I pretty much hated you all of last term. But, these last couple of days have made me rethink my position..."

"You sound like you're running for election to the Ministry."

"Okay, sorry. I changed my mind. You are not exactly the shining example of all that is good in the world, but you're not the jerk I thought you were. There is more to you than you let people see. I'm glad. I'm glad you are a real person and not just some singularly evil boy."

"But..."

"But, I love Harry. I don't see that fact changing anytime soon."

"So the kiss meant nothing..." Draco sounded hurt and angry.

"The kiss meant I know you are better than you think you are." Michelle lifted her hands to his face. She gently drew him closer and kissed him softly. Releasing him, she smiled. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

She walked him to her front steps. Worth glared at them as they spoke for a few more seconds.

"You're going to tell Potter everything aren't you?" Draco frowned.

"Everything, even the parts where you risked your life to save us both. You deserve atleast that much."

Worth opened the door to the waiting car and Draco slid in. He rolled down the window and peered out.

"Guess I'll see you later, sometime."

"I hope so. This is the Draco I'd be glad to see." Michelle gave him a quick smile as the car pulled away. She watched it till the end of her street before running back up to her apartment. Locking the door, she immediately apperated to the one place she needed to be. She startled Harry when she appeared at the side of his bed. He never got a word out beyond her name before she'd kissed him and curled up next to him crying.

Draco had watched her in the rearview mirror. As her figure got smaller, he rubbed his bandage. The cut on his hand hurt. Stupid muggle lotion. It wasn't doing a damn thing. He wasn't sure which was causing him more pain, his hand or his hurt feelings.

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A/N: Hey gang, sorry it took so long to get this chapter up. I've had it written for awhile now, but I've been down with a nasty cold. Plus, my computer has taken to freezing up at random moments which makes it a challenge to stay online long enough to download this puppy. We have a new person to add to the groupTokris. Thanks for reading not only my first story, but this sequel as well. As you know by now, you were right in your last review. Did you really think she would dump Harry so quickly? I'm guessing by the way you all seem to be rooting for Draco that you are fans of his. If this is the case, let me know and I'll try and come up with a good Draco story for you all. There's a wrap up chapter yet to go so be sure and review this one and voice your opinion about another Draco tale. Thanks to everyone for hanging with mehope tests, etc. aren't beating you up too much. I appreciate the continued support and feedback.


	12. Epilogue

Chapter 12: Epilogue

Longest. Conversation. Ever.

That's what it had felt like. Harry didn't speak to her for almost a week. Michelle had been patient. She knew he wouldn't like what she had to tell him. But, she told him anyway. Told him all about Draco and his parents, about the Death Eaters, about the kiss, she told him everything. Michelle said over and over that she only loved him, that she did what she did to save not only Draco, but herself as well. She wasn't sure which hurt Harry more, the fact that she'd kissed Draco or the fact that she said he wasn't all evil.

During her week in the doghouse, Michelle received a package from Draco. Thanks to her mysterious "disappearance" from the Malfoy house, her bookbag had been left behind along with her wand. The note from Draco was short and didn't say much. Michelle wasn't sure if he didn't want to talk to her or was afraid his parents would read the note. It was a bit of a toss up really.

Michelle had met with Dumbledore to explain her version of events. He didn't seem surprised by any of what had happened. He'd sent someone to the Malfoy estate to look for signs of the portkey. They found nothing. There was no evidence to point at the specific Death Eaters involved. There was nothing around that hinted at the Malfoy's involvement. Dumbledore told Michelle it wouldn't be fair to assume Lucius and his wife were behind the events of the evening, but it would be foolish to let one's guard down around them. The Malfoy family had been able to keep their image seperate from their actual behavior for years now. They were good at what they did.

A few weeks before the start of term, Michelle ran into Draco in Diagon Alley. She had gone to the bookstore to check they had ordered the correct books for Divination. Needless to say, she and Prof. Avilas had trashed Trelawney's old reading list. Draco had been inside waiting for his father who was purchasing a rare book.

"Draco, how are you?" Michelle came over to where he was standing.

His head lifted from the book he'd been skimming through. "Fine."

Michelle frowned. He couldn't still be annoyed with her. "Good. I was worried your parents were going to do something to you when you got home."

"Why would you think that?"

"I don't know...probably every experience I've ever had with your parents leads me to such a conclusion."

"Nothing happened. They barely spoke to me about that night."

"Really? Well, that's weird, but as long as you're okay..."

"Like I said, I'm fine."

Michelle waited for him to continue the conversation, but he fell silent. She studied his face as he looked back at his book. He was very difficult to read right now. Michelle sighed and shifted where she stood.

"I guess I should be heading out. I have tons to do before school starts. I'll see you in a couple of weeks then." She began to back away.

"See you at school..." Draco's eyes lifted and followed her progress towards the door. She gave him a brief smile before leaving.

Draco could hear his father's voice working its way through the bookstore. He was almost done with his transaction. Draco moved closer to the front door and watched Michelle through the window as she walked down the street. He fought the urge to go bolt outside and catch up with her. He had wanted to talk to her, really talk to her. But with his father so close, he couldn't take the chance at being overheard. It had taken all of Draco's skill at lying to convince his parents he had no clear recollection of what had happened that night. He couldn't risk them knowing he had helped Michelle. They couldn't know that he had decided for himself that he didn't want to be a Death Eater. All he had to do was get through the next few weeks till school started. Then, he needed to make it through the final school year. Then, and only then, when he was 18 would he be free. He could do what he wanted to do. He would be an even stronger and smarter wizard. He would be able to take care of himself completely. He could live his life, not his family's.

Draco heard Michelle's voice in his head telling him he had to make his own decisions. He may not have her for his own, but he thought he at least had her in his corner. And for now, that would have to be enough. He smiled to himself as he ran his finger over the scar on his palm. Funny, he now had a scar of his own...maybe he and Potter weren't so different after all.

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A/N Okay, it's not the strongest ending, but I didn't want you guys to wait for me to re-write it when I was already a little stuck. Thanks again for all your reviews, etc. I always enjoy hearing from you and appreciate the positive feedback. It may be a bit before I get another story up. To save you from having to check constantly, if you go to your log in page, chooseEmail Alerts and put me down. That way when I put something up you'll get an email. It's handy to use if it may be awhile before I come up with a story idea. I did the same for several of you that write, but don't always have the time to do so because of class, tests, etc. That way I know I won't miss anything. Thanks again to FPC/Morgan, Rockbaby67, Call-Sugarhigh-Police and the newbie, Tokris. I think that's everyone. Till next time!


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